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Welcome to
the VSA's email newsletter. |
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July/August 2008 |
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News of
Note |
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Wednesday October 15 to Saturday October 18, 2008 An hour or so off the coast of North Carolina, Bermuda is a little
slice of paradise. Only 21 square miles,
Bermuda, or “The Rock” as locals call it, has much to offer the visitor. Located
in turquoise seas in the Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda is not part of the Caribbean
and the temperatures get to be a quite chilly 60 degrees in the middle of
winter! Economically,
the population has the highest per capita income in the world. The people are friendly and polite and
tourists are welcomed with open arms.
Because Bermuda is so small, almost everything is imported from the
USA, Canada and the UK. This means
everything is more expensive than it would be on the mainland, and prices
must be looked at in this light. As
the Bermudian dollar is linked to the US dollar, prices there are what they
appear to be, and US dollars are accepted as legal tender on the island. Click
on the map below for a link directly to the brochure*. *
Note: The telephone number for our host hotel, Grotto Bay Beach
Resort, is incorrectly listed in the brochure. The correct phone number is
(800) 582-3190.
Sign up soon, as this will fill up quickly! And don’t forget: ALL persons traveling by air between the US,
Canada and Bermuda are required to present a passport to enter or re-enter
the United States. |
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Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Victorian Society in America In Napa, California May 10, 2008
Old Patent Office Building Washington, DC Award For the state-of-the-art
renovation of this national historic landmark, one of the finest examples of
Greek Revival architecture in America, and its transformation into the Donald
W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture with enhanced facilities
to serve the visiting public. This
National Historic Landmark, constructed between 1836 and 1868, is considered
one of the finest Greek Revival structures in the United States. Prominent American architects Robert Mills
and Thomas U. Walter were its supervising architects. The enormous galleries on the top floor
were designed for the display of some 200,000 patent models. In 1958 the building was transferred to
the Smithsonian Institution to house its National Portrait Gallery and
Smithsonian American Art Museum, which opened in 1968. A
badly needed renovation of the building was begun in 2000 and completed seven
years later at a cost of $283 million in federal and private funding. All systems were replaced, marble and wood
flooring installed to match originals, and 550 wood windows replicated with hand-blown
glass panes. A state-of-the-art
auditorium was added, and the central open courtyard enclosed with a glass
canopy designed by Norman Foster & Partners of London. The two museums, with expanded exhibition
space and enhanced facilities, are now equipped to accommodate the building’s
increased visitation. |
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Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Victorian Society in America In Napa, California May 10, 2008
The 2008 Henry-Russell Hitchcock Award was presented to George Inness: A Catalogue Raisonné By Michael Quick For
its thorough treatment of a highly influential figure in nineteenth-century
landscape painting, this beautifully presented book will serve as an
important reference on its subject for years to come. We hope to have an
additional photo to share in an upcoming E-newsletter.
The 2008 Ruth Emery Award was
presented to Jacob
Weidenmann: Pioneer Landscape Architect By Rudy J. Favretti Thoroughly
researched and beautifully illustrated, this book fills an important gap in
the literature on landscape architecture. Pictured above, Book Awards Chair Ingrid Steffensen presents the
Ruth Emery Award to Author Rudy Favretti.
The 2008 William E. Fischelis Award was
presented to Cecilia Beaux: American
Figure Painter By Sylvia Yount, Kevin Sharp, Nina Auerbach, and Mark Bockrath This
catalogue thoughtfully and beautifully reassesses one of the greatest
painters of the American Renaissance. We hope to have a presentation photo to share in the next
E-newsletter. |
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An Obituary
From the Washington Post: RICHARD EVANS On June
27, 2008, of Washington, DC. Beloved brother of Robert Evans, Sr. (Janice) of
Bernville, PA. He is also survived by his nephew, Robert Evans, Jr. (Carol);
his niece, Kay Evans. Friends may call on
Wednesday, July 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at JOSEPH GAWLER'S SONS, 5130
Wisconsin Ave. (at Harrison St.), where services will be held at 9:30 a.m.,
Thursday, July 3. Interment Congressional Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations may be made to charity of your choice. |
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MEMBER NEWS |
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Through August: Library
Restoration Activities at
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New! “Victorian High Tech” at Maymont
The
1890’s ushered in a period of amazing and far-reaching technological changes
in the United States, and Maymont was on the cutting edge of that technology.
James and Sallie Dooley enjoyed electricity, central heat, bathrooms,
telephone service and even an Otis elevator! Learn how these technological
luxuries worked during “Victorian High Tech,“ a must-see,
behind-the-scenes tour offered Saturday, July 12 and Saturday,
August 9, at 2 p.m. Participants
are invited to the third floor of Maymont Mansion (an area seldom seen by the
public) to enjoy a presentation on the technology at hand in one of the most
modern homes of its era. Then attendees will have an unprecedented tour of
areas that are never seen by the public, so that they may better
understand how this amazing technology affected the Dooley’s lives in the
1890s. The group will also visit the grounds to learn how Victorian
technology worked differently from what we use today. The
fee is $7 per person/$5 for Maymont members; registration is suggested. Maymont
Mansion is located at Maymont’s Hampton Street entrance, 1700 Hampton Street,
Richmond, Virginia. Free parking is available. To register, call Maymont at
804-358-7166, ext. 329. Visit their website at www.maymont.org. |
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The
1915 Otis Townsend residence at 115 Reading Avenue is Cape May’s outstanding
example of Craftsman-style architecture, and is the site of Cape May’s
fourth annual Designer Show House.
Discover this charming home that has been restored to its original
glory and made over by some of the region’s top designers and suppliers. The
Cape May Designer Show House is open now through Sunday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. daily and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for
children (ages 3-12). Dining and show
house tour combinations are also available.
Free trolley shuttles will depart from the Washington Street Mall
Information Booth and the Emlen Physick Estate. This
year’s Cape May Designer Show House is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center
for the Arts (MAC) and South Jersey House & Home magazine. Proceeds
benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC), a non-profit organization
dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Cape May’s heritage. MAC
also fosters the performing arts. MAC membership is open to all. For
information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special
events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org
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An oil on canvas by
the first American artist known to have visited India, Edwin Lord Weeks, has
been added to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts collection. The painting, “The
Hour of Prayer at Moti Mushid (The Pearl Mosque), Agra,” dates from about
1888-89 and is nearly 10 feet wide by almost 7 feet tall. Weeks was awarded a
Gold Medal at the 1889 Paris Salon for the work. Weeks (1849-1903) was
born in Boston and trained in Paris and was an inveterate traveler, according
to Dr. Sylvia Yount, who is VMFA’s Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator
of American Art and head of the American department. He was inspired by
exotic historical subjects and the painterly techniques of the French
academicians. He attracted critical and popular attention on both sides of
the Atlantic for his contemporary North African and Middle Eastern scenes
before visiting India for the first time in 1882.
You
can visit the Museum’s website to learn more about the collection by clicking
here, or on the
picture above. Photo:
Katherine Wetzel, VFMA |
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At
The Frick Pittsburgh
A Panorama of Pittsburgh--Nineteenth-Century Printed
Views Now through Oct 5, 2008 This exhibition and accompanying catalogue will
provide an in-depth consideration of the history of printed views of
Pittsburgh and printmaking in the city, leading to a better understanding of
the story of the region as well as of the use of prints of cityscapes during
the period. There have been no previous exhibitions that have
studied this material systematically, using examples from private, public,
corporate, and club collections in Pittsburgh, as well as institutions around
the country. The accompanying catalogue will include an essay by guest
curator, Christopher W. Lane and an extensive and scholarly catalogue listing
of printed views of Pittsburgh. This exhibition, organized by the Frick Art &
Historical Center, is part of the Frick’s contribution to the celebrations
surrounding Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary. This exhibition is organized by
the Frick Art & Historical Center with support provided by the Allegheny
Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation, the Eichleay Foundation, Mine Safety
Appliances, and the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation. The Frick Pittsburgh’s website may be reached by
clicking here. |
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CHAPTER NOTES |
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Mark Your
Calendar for Saturday September 27 Annual Bus
Trip – Day Trip to Mount Tabor, New Jersey The Philadelphia Chapter’s annual bus trip is in the final planning
stages but promises to be an enjoyable and historically informative event.
The group will visit Mount Tabor, a seaside camp meeting ground. We will begin the day with an introductory talk by the Mt. Tabor
Historical Society followed by a day of tours inside many of the fine camp
meeting cottages. During mid-day, we will partake of a box lunch on the camp
meeting grounds. President David Ewaniuk would appreciate chapter members to contact
him by phone or E-mail if they are interested in taking part in the trip. He
would like to optimize the transportation arrangements, which always prove to
be the largest portion of the cost to the annual bus trip. He promises more details in July via a mailing to chapter members. If you would like to go, contact David at (215) 538-1122 or dewaniuk@comcast.net
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From the Greater
Chicago Chapter
A Day Trip to: Hegeler Carus Mansion La Salle, Illinois • Designed by W. W. Boyington and completed in 1876, this house is
the quintessential Charles Addams Victorian home. This day trip includes
lunch and a tour of an additional home.
Virtually unaltered since its completion more than a
century ago, the Mansion is at once a family home, an example of high
artistic achievement in architecture and interior design, and the site of
historic accomplishments in industry, philosophy, publishing and
religion. Visitors today experience the grandeur of a bygone era and the
heritage of a fascinating family whose history is woven tightly with that of
the Illinois Valley and the United States, as well as internationally. Questions: GCCVSA@aol.com
or Toby Trabert 708-763-9265 |
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From the Falls Church, VA Chapter The Falls Church Chapter is planning to take a trip to
Strasburg, PA on August 9 to take part in a Mystery Dinner aboard the
Strasburg Railroad, in its elegantly restored Victorian steam engine
train. If you haven’t already signed up and paid organizer Penny
Crittenden by now, you’re very likely For those already signed up, however, a list of lodging
suggestions is provided, as participants are responsible for making their own
lodging arrangements. Among the options in the Strasburg area are: Carriage
House Motor Inn (717-687-7651) located in downtown Strasburg near the train
station; Dutch Treat Motel (717-687-7998); Hershey Farm (800-827-8635); Iron
Horse Inn (717-687-6362); Red Caboose Motel (888-687-5005); and Netherlands
Inn (800-872-0201). The Strasburg Railroad is a fun and educational place for
all ages to visit. Check out their website.
Photo: courtesy of Strasburg Railroad |
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BUSINESS MEMBERS |
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R. Victorian NY Inc. R.
Victorian NY Inc. is an international supplier of hand-crafted reproduction
Victorian jewelry. They offer monthly specials in a variety of settings. Visit
their website at: http://www.rvictorian.com/index.html |
Hats by Nancee Hats by Nancee features
custom, hand-made hats made by proprietress, “Queen Nancee”, exemplifying the
quality and eye for detail not often seen in this modern era, and using
techniques little changed from the 19th Century. Visit her website at: |
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